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Madman Assaults Created Equal Team Member at Ohio High School

May 12, 2016 - by Mark Harrington

“This is not violence,” an angry abortion advocate screams while physically attacking a Created Equal team member.

In a newly released clip from Created Equal Films, a Columbus, OH resident roughed up one of our outreach team members even before he had an opportunity to dialogue with his intended audience. Outraged by even the notion of pictures of aborted babies being shown, he went on a tirade.

The video shows the abortion advocate assaulting Ian Spencer, Outreach Coordinator, for Created Equal, as he prepared his team to discuss abortion with students at Gahanna Lincoln High School in Columbus, OH. While attacking Ian, he refuses to admit what he is doing is violent.

When Ian requests he stop violating our right to free speech, he responds: “I am not physically assaulting anyone.” Nevertheless, he does not stop arguing that he has a right to threaten our team—all the while telling them “to leave this area … right now.”

Police arrived on the scene shortly after the attack. Later that day, the perpetrator was cited for a fourth degree misdemeanor of disorderly conduct.

It seems increasingly common for abortion advocates not only to dissent to our message but also to resort to violence. In defending the violence of abortion, abortion advocates use violence to intimidate preborn defenders. We take every lawful measure to ensure the safety of our team members. However, we understand these kinds of attacks are inevitable. We will never be silenced by violence or threats of violence. — Mark Harrington, National Director, Created Equal

Created Equal coordinates in advance with local law enforcement when planning our outreaches to ensure adherence to the law. Ohio law reads that individuals forfeit their right to privacy in a public area. Therefore, videotaping our high school outreaches are a lawful expression of our First Amendment rights.